Superconducting Magnetic Separation of Powdered Activated Carbon From Aqueous Phase

Magnetic separation can be combined with several environmental technologies and the proper combination helps overcome the limitations of current technologies. One of the most popular adsorbent for environmental uses is activated carbon, especially for water and wastewater treatments. Powdered activated carbon (PAC) has several advantages such as relatively short equilibrium time and easy regeneration in a very short period of time due to a short pore depth over granular activated carbon but the separation of PAC out of water is challenging. In the current study, commercially available PAC was magnetized and tested for separation out of water using a superconducting magnet. The magnetization process might block the pores and decrease the sorption capacity. The surface area and the sorption capacity of PAC were compared before and after the magnetization. The removal efficiency of PAC was highly dependent on the magnetic field and magnetizing method. Complete removal of magnetized PAC was achieved by a superconducting magnet indicating a superconducting magnet system with magnetized PAC and can be useful for physical treatment of water and wastewater.